He ended up arriving at school before I did. I dropped the kids off at Joan’s and then she rode with me to school. We didn’t do much of anything. We had introductory meetings and then I printed off my labels for my pupil books this year. My teaching assistance got my boards all backed with paper and started organizing the room. Boy do I love a teaching assistant.
We ended up at home around 4 pm. Stuart stayed for a while and then headed to the club for a meeting. Millie helped me sort out some of my clothes that were long overdue a shuffling through. I didn’t get rid of anything, but just organized my things a bit more. I decided to take a shower and put on my jammies. It’s not that wrong to be in your pjs by 5:30 pm, is it? Stuart got home around 6 pm. Millie had been fed and bathed and was ready to go to bed. Since coming home from our holidays she has woken up every night. I was hopeful she wouldn’t do the same Sunday evening.
She went to bed with no issues. Stuart, Jack and myself ate dinner and then Jack went off to do his own thing for about an hour. Stuart and I watched television. Then Jack went to bed, but wasn’t happy. His claim was that he shouldn’t have to go to bed at his regular bed time because he was still on holiday. His argument didn’t work.
Stuart went to bed around 9:30. As he was taking a shower, Millie woke up and started crying because Stuart had turned off the hall light and she claimed she couldn’t see to go to the bathroom, even though the bathroom light was still on. I turned the hall light back on and told her I would leave it on until I went to bed. When I did finally go to bed Millie was sound asleep, and she slept through the night.
Monday morning we were up a bit later than the previous morning. Jack was actually up before we were, but Millie was a bit of a bear to get out of bed. Stuart left a bit early so he could get into his classroom. He was also planning to go to the cable and electric service office to sort out closing his bills with the old company so he could open them with the new company. It’s a total hassle to change jobs in this country. Hopefully it will be over soon.
School was very productive. Sadly, I can already tell my team of men are going to be a bit too laid back for me this year. They are really nice guys, but not feeling terribly urgent about getting to work. I’m hoping there will be more productivity as the year goes on.
I picked up the kids and met Stuart at the cable company main store. He has to clear his account and I have to be a guarantor, meaning I have to promise that if he doesn’t pay his bill, I will. Again, this is one of the things we have to go through to change jobs. I left and brought Jack home with me, while Millie stayed with Stuart and they went on to the mall to try to get our clearance letter from the electric company.
Jack and I came home. I made dinner for the kids and he played with his PS4. The kids had the ever so satisfying grilled cheese sandwich. Jack wasn’t thrilled, but I couldn’t be bothered by that. He still had his usual bowl of fruit, yogurt and bowl of cereal afterwards so he really has no room to complain. Millie ate and then showered. I read her a book and then she was off to sleep. Jack was up a bit later and then was off to bed. Stuart and I watched television and then he went to bed, with me following shortly.
Tuesday morning school was full of getting our rooms prepared. We have these things called learning loops. Instead of the boring circles we usually use to go behind the learning outcomes, I decided to use a thematic approach and put little Romans behind my outcomes. Then my teammates decided to do the same. Win for me! This is the reason I was put in Year 3, so I was told.
Tuesday after school we did absolutely nothing. Millie and I put together a puzzle. I fixed food for the kids and then went to Lara’s to have a chat. She was struggling with family stuff and the new company the schools switched to this year. It seems they are making the free housing they provide not as free as it used to be. Being in the Middle East is really starting to be less profitable each year. When it’s time to go back to Arizona, I think we will be ready.
Wednesday the kids went to stay at Lara and Brian’s. I was keenly aware that the Weir family needed to get things done, like get a new car battery, so we decided we would give them a break for the day and not send our kids there. I did my best to finish up school things, but spun my wheels for some of the day. However, I feel much better than I did last year.
After school we went to the golf club for Jack’s lesson, then played foot golf with some other people from Brighton. It was a team building activity, but the attendance from the primary school was lower than I expected. Oh well, we had fun, and then we went to sushi night. Joan and Gene met us there later for a drink. Needless to say it was a late night for the kids.
Foot golf, here we come.
Ready for his first kick.
She even plays foot golf in a funny way. Every kick found her sliding on the green.
Thursday we were told we would have Sunday off for the Islamic New Year. The formal announcement was due to come on Saturday. So we all anxiously awaited that declaration. I finished work a bit after 4 pm. Gene had brought Jack and Millie to school. Millie left with Stuart a bit earlier and Jack stayed with me so he could get a gift voucher for his PS4 at the supermarket.
When we got home Cathy came over. We had all had a bit of a long week, and I especially felt sorry for Stuart and Cathy, as they are now going through what I went through at the beginning of the year last year. There is just so much to learn when you move to a new school. It’s overwhelming to say the least.
Stuart made chicken rolled with bacon and stuffed with asparagus, and potato wedges. It was yummy. We all decompressed for the evening. Around 8 pm Lara messaged me to tell me she was being admitted to the hospital for a bacterial infection. Huh? She was having tests run and they were going to leave her in ICU because they couldn’t get her fever to come down. This was just adding to her stress, as you can imagine. I told her I would come for a visit on Friday.
Friday Stuart was up and headed toward Dubai airport at 4 am to collect Sean and his daughter Carly. He was home by 7 am which is when I rolled out of bed. We left for the mall around 9:30 am to drop Jack off at a birthday party and hopefully purchase Millie a bed at IKEA. We decided her queen size bed is needed in our spare room because we are hoping to have lots of visitors this year. We know for sure the pastor who performed our wedding ceremony, Roy Lawson, and his wife, Joy, are coming. Ken, Maytee and their girls will be here in March, and we hope Grammie and Pop will come for a long stay in March as well. In the meantime I found a bed on the local swap and shop that I think will work for Millie. She was thrilled.
There are a few dings here and there but for the equivalent of $135, we decided we could live with it.
We shopped around for odds and ends at the mall, picked Jack up from his party and then headed home for the afternoon. Cathy and I then went to see Lara in the hospital. She actually looked better than I thought she would. They were getting ready to start her third antibiotic because the first two didn’t work. She was told she would be in the hospital until they could get her fever gone. When we left the hospital we went to my house. Sean arrived a bit after we got there and we ordered dinner from a local Arab restaurant. Sean and Cathy left around 9 pm and then we headed to bed ourselves.
I was awake at 5 am on Saturday morning. We had received an email stating that school would start on Sunday rather than Monday. So the Islamic new year was celebrated on Saturday instead of Sunday. So we had to go to school to get our rooms ready for Sunday instead of Monday. Boo!
Once I felt comfortable with the way my room looked and how prepared I was for pupils, I left. I picked up the laundry and bought some comfort ice cream, then went home. I had decided, since the kids complain about how I pack their lunches, then they could pack their own lunches this year. So I did some food prep for our second refrigerator.
So, I’m not sure how long I can keep this up but I’m going to give it a go.
I took Jack to get his hair cut and then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. Our dinner was low key and everyone had an early night in preparation for our first day of school. It’s sure to be an exciting year for all of us.
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